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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cilantro is perfect for those times when you *must* have tomatoes, even if it's not quite summer yet.

(Updated with better photos and step-by-step instructions for Meatless Monday, May 2013.) This Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cilantrosalad was originally inspired by one I loved at a party I attended
with my brother Rand where guests were asked to bring Oaxacan dishes. Back home I came up with my version on one of those spring days when suddenly I had to have that fresh tomato flavor in my mouth. When the tomato urge hits me, I don't care whether it's tomato season or how much I have to pay, if I can find tomatoes that taste good I'll buy some. The tomatoes I used were from Costco, and they had that "tomato smell" I always look for if I buy tomatoes. Even the best store-bought tomatoes can't match that late-summer umami-filled tomato flavor I get when I'm picking my homegrown tomatoes in August, but these tomatoes tasted pretty good.

Now fast forward five years, and I made this salad again recently for a baby shower (for my nephew's wife, who's having twins!) and then again when I had two good friends over for dinner. Both times, people raved about the salad so I decided I would make it again, take new photos, and update this post for my weekly Meatless Monday pick. Hope everyone else enjoys it too! (You can find more meatless recipes by using the label Meatless Monday or checking Vegetarian Recipes in the recipe index, and I'm also doing a meatless slow cooker recipe each Monday on Slow Cooker from Scratch. For more Meatless Monday ideas from other bloggers, check Meatless Monday at BlogHer, where I write a weekly post spotlighting one of the fabulous meatless recipe ideas I find around the web.)

Put one can of pinto beans in a colander, rinse, and let drain well (or dry with paper towels.)

Then toss the drained pintos with white balsamic vinegar and let them marinate while you prep the other ingredients.

Pour beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well until no more foam appears. Let beans drain well for at least 15 minutes. Then blot beans dry with paper towel, place in plastic bowl, and toss with white balsamic vinegar. Let beans marinate in the vinegar while you prep other ingredients.

Cut avocado into 1/2 inch pieces and place in small bowl. Toss with lime juice. Chop tomatoes, or if using cherry tomatoes, cut in half.

Chop red onion and cilantro. (I like to chop with a chef's knife, but you could use a mini-chopper or food processor for this.) Mix onions and cilantro into marinating beans. Then use a large spoon to gently fold in avocado and tomato. Drizzle olive oil over salad and season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt, and gently toss again. Serve immediately, at room temperature.

This could also be made with other types of beans; I think black beans would be a good option.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage
my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or
fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I
recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

I'm glad I'm not the only tomato craver! You guys are also nice not to mention that I'm not all that frugal or eco-conscious buying tomatoes in March in Utah. (I do grow my own plus lots of other veggies in the summer, so can I get some earth-friendly points for that?)

I did try the salad tonight with black beans for my dad; just as fantastic with the black beans!

A lovely, lively sounding salad, Kalyn! My father-in-law would only eat tomatoes he'd grown in his own garden, precisely because store bought wouldn't match the August-picked-from-your-garden taste. Store bought is getting better, though, particularly the tomatoes sold on the vine. The vine continues to provide nutrients to the fruit, enhancing the flavor. To retain the most flavor in any tomato, never refrigerate it--chilling will sap flavor and make it bland.

I'm avocado crazy recently and I will definitely try your recipe. I love Mexican flavours as well... spent plenty of time in Mexican restaurants when I was working on the cruise ships... Cozumel was one of my favourite ports to go out for dinner! :)

I made this tonight, Kalyn. The only change I made was to use basil instead of cilantro(did not have any). I also threw in some cucumbers that I had. Simply loved the colors and flavors! Thank you so much for sharing.

Just made this exactly to bring to a party tonight and another one with a bunch of other beans. I also added cucumber and cumin. This is sooooo easy and soooo satisfying! I'm going to keep a batch in my fridge always! Add this to a salad and who needs salad dressing? =) Many thanks!

I just found your blog through Pinterest. Wish I would have known about you when I went on South Beach Diet in Jan of 2011. Anyway in four months I was able to lose 10% of my body weight and then maintain that weight loss through the entire year! I didn't gain a single pound until Christmas. I'm now back on Phase II (couldn't bring myself to do phase I again!) until I get my Christmas pounds off and then its back to Phase three! Anyway, thanks for the great recipes. I will be following you in my reader. I also started a food blog. Very simple and filled with family recipes (some South Beach friendly and some not)

I used this as a template to make something similar last night. I subbed in kidney beans (didn't have pintos in stock), added asparagus (it's in season now), and left out the avocado for now (not ripe yet). I also chopped up some quarter inch chunks of salami to add some meat and make it more meal-like. I really like the idea of marinating the beans in the vinegar, I think that gives them even more flavor. Thanks, and keep up the great work on the blog.

This was so tasty, thank you so much for posting. It's funny because some of the simplest recipes are the most tasty. We will definitely be making this again. I hope you don't mind but I did post a link to this recipe on my website so others can find your delicious recipes. Thanks again.

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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